


Hello There, Corner, My Old Friend

by daddykeehl



Series: A series of bad decisions on Akira's part [4]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Goro Akechi needs a vacation, Humor, Joker is an enigma, M/M, Metaverse, Palace spoilers, Snark, That's not how wooing works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 09:59:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13855449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daddykeehl/pseuds/daddykeehl
Summary: No one really knew what they were signing up for when they joined the Phantom Thieves with Akira. Especially not Akechi. He didn't ask for this, but here we are.In which personal space doesn't exist and Akechi is two steps from chugging a bottle of whiskey.





	Hello There, Corner, My Old Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly this could be summed up as:
> 
> Akira: who are you  
> Joker: I'm you but gayer

Akechi learned many things upon becoming a certified Phantom Thief, many of these things applicable to his everyday life, or useful in simply surviving every encounter with the deadly shadows lurking in the metaverse.

Ann, or that is, Panther, taught him, quietly, while they waited on the sidelines as the main group moved ahead, how to push past any sort of fatigue and make a comeback upon him being switched out for Noir when he pushed himself too hard, which he caught onto quickly.

Skull taught him how to hold himself to intimidate weaker shadows, which was always handy when being looked down upon by his seniors in the work force.

He learned how long he needed to hold off on an attack by Fox, and how to efficiently root out enemy weaknesses by Queen and Oracle, Noir teaching him how to handle his weight and fix his stance more. Among these lessons, he also noticed habits of his teammates, odd little quirks they all seemed to harbor.

Panther twirled her hair when idle, restless hands always needing to do something, Skull walked deliberately to hide his past injury (though what had caused it was a mystery to him), Noir enjoyed killing the shadows, which amused him as well as disturbed him in rather equal measure, and Joker...

Joker liked to sneak up on everything.

Including his teammates.

Where Akira was simply quiet, without deliberation, Joker made it a game, easily slipping to his companions side while they were distracted and scaring the daylights out of them at every given moment. The fact that Queen hadn't put ANOTHER bruise on his jaw because of this habit was, frankly, astounding. When the others joked that he lived for thrills when in the metaverse, Akechi hadn't thought they'd been THAT serious, really. He was very wrong.

~°~

Akechi hadn't been the victim of it, seemingly either via Joker deciding to actually let him live one day without feeling some form of mortification or because the teen just hadn't made it to him yet.

It was because of this that he let his guard down for once during the return trip to Niijima's palace, safe in the knowledge that the others would watch his back, and slid up to a corner, fingers steady on the cold casino floor and eyes rapidly searching for any movement. He absolutely was NOT expecting to feel the sudden warmth of Joker's leather clad body sliding between him and the wall.

Had Joker's hand not gripped his own, he'd probably have screeched and flung himself backwards, which was not only a horrifying thought, but would also give away their position to both friend and foe.

But really, Joker was still Akira only ten times more obnoxious and willing to do things his "other half" was not. Not thinking he'd be getting the "slip 'n slide" treatment was just underestimating him.

"You alright there, Crow? Did you see something, perhaps?" Joker asked, hot breath washing over Akechi's face and smirk the only thing visible in the dark corner they'd crept into to scout ahead.

"Yes, actually. I believe I've spotted a fool who will, as he's so eloquently quoted to me before, 'catch these hands' should he pull something like this again." Akechi growled, face tinged with pink, and roughly pushed himself away from the comforting heat of another body pressed against his. Joker smiled cheekily, followed as well, and it wasn't mentioned afterwards. Akechi had thought that was the end of it, after all, Akira never pushed when he showed such a level of irritation over a subject.

But Joker wasn't under such care or obligation.

~°~

The maze was, perhaps, the single worst place Akechi had ever had the misfortune of stepping foot in. Dark, cold, and eerily quiet, every set of footsteps echoed down the hallways, often accompanied by an extra set that didn't belong to the small group that had decided to check it out by themselves. Of course Joker would choose Crow as one of his party members, it was only natural, right? They fought the best together, personas reacting well to each other unlike the indifference of the other Thieves personas. No one questioned it.

"Everyone, quiet. I think I hear extra footsteps..." Akechi mumbled, hand sliding along the tiled wall until he found the edge and, making the same bloody mistake as last time, he settled down to try and hear their next opponent. 

A gloved hand found itself upon his back and a body pressed heavily against his own, this time on the outside, effectively blocking him from his escape that was clearly anticipated. Joker, of course, knew he'd never create a commotion over the contact, his pride too inflated for such an admission as well. Damn him!

A chuckle, more felt against his back than heard, left the masked leader's lips, face nearly buried in Akechi's smooth, caramel colored hair from the overwhelming position they were still in. 

"Do you doubt my ability to find our enemies, dear leader? Perhaps I should switch out with Queen then, no? I'm sure she'd be of more use. I wouldn't want to slow everyone down or distract anyone, after all." He said defiantly, head tilted up to meet the amused and, perhaps, excited gaze of his companion.

"Why no, of course not, Crow. In fact, I'm well aware of just how talented you are." He replied, his breath ghosting over Akechi's lips, furthering the rapid beating of his poor, overworked heart. He was going to DIE and it'd be all Akira "Joker" Kurusu's fault.

"Then please, enlighten me as to why you feel such a...juvenile need to disregard my personal space."

"Well," Joker began, "You look rather adorable when you're flustered. And scaring you is about the only time I can get such an open reaction from you. It's delightful, really!" He finished, lips curled in a way that distinctly reminded Akechi of Morgana. It was unnerving, honestly.

Face rapidly attempting to match his outfit, Akechi glowered at him as best he could in the pitch blackness that surrounded them. It was a lost battle, really, but he'd go down with as much dignity as possible, dammit!

"O-kay, guys, I get that the two of you need these weird, gay moments to bond 'n stuff but we are all like, right here. We can HEAR you, man!" Came Ryuji's (slightly distressed) voice from the darkness, the other two members of their party seemingly popping right back into Akechi's happy little Akira bubble of reality.

Well.

Perhaps he could do without his dignity in the afterlife, anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> This was gonna be longer but I lost motivation halfway through and you can probably tell but I like it nonetheless. What's the deal with Akechi and his role in the canon? Uhhhhhhhhh Who Knows™ I'm just going with what my brain screams about at 3 am tbh, all I know is he ISN'T bad but is still kind of a snake, just without the murder part. So like. A Good Boy, thanks.


End file.
